Switching To Electronic Medical Records Entails Some Challenges
While many medical practices have embraced electronic billing and electronic appointment scheduling, the number to have switched to electronic medical records is very small. Currently less than 20% of hospitals and medical practices have switched to EMR’s although many plan to switch during the next few years. If you haven’t yet switched now is a good time to consider implementing an EMR system. Before considering purchasing a system it is important to be aware of some of the pros and cons.
The largest problem facing a practice implementing EMR’s is to ensure that the designated Protected Health Information (PHI) is kept safe and secure. Electronic records can be harder to secure than paper records and not only do they need to be secure, they need to have several backups. This way, if the information is destroyed or overwritten a copy can be retrieved quickly. Speed of access is also important - this is one of the benefits of the system, as records can be accessed from anywhere via any pc, laptop or even a PDA utilizing handheld medical software. One of the biggest problems facing practices adopting EMR’s is to balance the legal aspects of storage and privacy along with the benefits that ease of use will give in an emergency.
If you decide to make the changeover to electronic medical records, the first challenge facing you will be the need to transfer all the current records into electronic form. Although a relatively simple task it can be a long and laborious undertaking, and needs to be done with care as missing information can cause major problems at a later date. Before purchasing an EMR system you should ask to see demonstration copies of the software, and also ask to visit a practice that is currently using the system. Be sure you know exactly what you are buying with regards to software licenses and support. Find out if the license applies to all members of staff or if each license only allows one person to access the software. Make sure you know what support is available. Is it 24/7 with a human contact, or will you just get access to help files and a forum.
Also make sure that the software can store all the necessary records including x-rays, and more importantly that it can provide full printouts of each record. If a patient needs to go to a the hospital or a specialist who doesn’t have a compatible EMR system, then you will need to send paper copies of everything. It can be a great bonus if you can access the patient’s medical records remotely via a laptop or PDA. If you can, it is important to ensure that any notes you make get synchronized with the system. By choosing your electronic medical records software carefully you can ensure that you will have a system that will last you many years to come.
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